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Detroit Lions' Quintez Cephus was the best WR Jeff Okudah covered in college

“I’ll give y’all an interesting name,” Okudah said at February's NFL combine when asked about the best receiver he faced. “Quintez Cephus from Wisconsin, I think he’s the best receiver I went against. Doesn’t matter what his 40 time was, football’s played in between the lines and he’s a technician. Someone that I changed my plan up for every single week. I think he might have been the only receiver to have 100 yards against us and we knew that going against him we’d have to earn our keep.”

Cephus caught 59 passes for 901 yards last season, seventh most in the Big Ten.

He’s a possession receiver at 6-foot-1 and 202 pounds, and his 40-yard dash time of 4.73 seconds was among the slowest of any receiver at the NFL combine.

“I’ve done a lot of … working on my gait and working on my stride and all that,” Cephus said in a teleconference with Detroit reporters Saturday. “And I just, wherever I am, I’m going to put in the work, I’m going to get to work. So that’s what I’m excited to do.”

In Detroit, Cephus should compete for a backup job behind Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola, the Lions’ three leading receivers last year.

The Lions added Geremy Davis and Geronimo Allison to their receiving corps this offseason and return backup Marvin Hall, but they don’t have any receivers under contract beyond 2020.

“I’m going to be happy going down to Detroit and getting the work and go to a great organization with great fans,” he said. “It’s an amazing moment for me and I was able to enjoy that with my family and it’s paid off, all the hard work and sacrifices that we made since I was a child, it’s paid off for sure.”

Cephus, who was suspended for the 2018 season at Wisconsin after he was accused of two counts of sexual assault – he was acquitted of both charges last summer – said the past two years “have been great for me” and have helped him grow on and off the field.

New Mexico State's Jason Huntley moves the ball down the field as the New Mexico State Aggies take on the UL Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns at Cajun Field on October 13, 2018. James Mays/Special to the Advertiser

Quintez Cephus (87) of the Wisconsin Badgers scores a first half touchdown against the Brigham Young Cougars at LaVell Edwards Stadium on September 16, 2017 in Provo, Utah. Gene Sweeney Jr., Getty Images

Wisconsin's Quintez Cephus catches a pass in front of Iowa's Michael Ojemudia during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) Morry Gash, AP

He declined to discuss the case, saying he wanted “to focus on this moment, the excitement around me being drafted and accomplishing a dream that I’ve always had since I was a kid.” And he said he’s excited to get to work with Okudah whenever he gets on the field.

“Jeff is an unbelievable talent,” Cephus said. “He was the best guy I lined up against all year and it’s amazing getting to see all the great athletes that the Lions have this year and they’ve drafted and the guys that they have on their roster. But Jeff Okudah, I know he’ll get me better and I just can’t wait to get to work with him and have fun and knowing that he has that same respect for me as I have for him, it’s going to be a great thing.”